Typically, in a wire-processing machine 1 such as is shown by reference to an example in FIG. 1, the wire 2 is unrolled from a roll or reel, or fed out of a drum (not shown). A wire drive 3 pulls the wire 2 into the wire-processing machine 1. The corresponding direction of movement is indicated in FIG. 1 by the arrow P1. A loop layer 4 is employed which forms a loop 2.1 from a predefined section of the wire 2. When doing so, the loop layer 4 grasps the leading wire end of the wire 2 and, through a turning movement, forms the loop 2.1, which, through further advance of the wire 2, is brought to the desired length. The beginning of this process is shown in FIG. 1. Here, the loop 2.1 is still very small.
After separation of the loop 2.1, a transfer unit 5, such as is known, for example, from patent application EP1073163-A1, takes over the two ends of the loop 2.1 and, by a transverse movement in direction P3, brings them to a so-called de-twisting apparatus 6.
Known from patent application EP1691457-A1 is a corresponding wire-processing machine 1 with loop layer 4, transfer unit 5, and de-twisting apparatus 6, which allows the twist to be removed from a wire loop 2.1. Here, this takes place with a de-twisting apparatus 6, which is equipped with two turnable wire grippers 6.1, 6.2, which, at the instant shown in FIG. 1, hold a second wire-loop 2.2. The twist in this second wire loop 2.2 is removed by at least one of the two wire grippers 6.1, 6.2 executing de-twisting turns of a certain value about a horizontal axis counter to the direction of twist of the wire-loop 2.2.
A potential disadvantage of this approach is that the direction and angle of this de-twisting movement is often previously determined by trials and saved. Another possible disadvantage is that these values are not always constant over the length of the wire 2 that is fed to the wire-processing machine 1 and that long wire loops do not succeed in every case in removing the twist, since the loops can cross multiple times and unfavorably.
In at least some cases, crossing of the wire-loops is a problem in the relevant processes.